Young dads in prison see their children on family days

Family days for inmates at a Perth prison are encouraging fathers to develop stronger bonds with their children. These days are arranged in conjunction with Save The Children and are a key part of showing the young men the positive side of family and community to help prevent them reoffending. I visited and was told that the only way these young men, largely from extremely difficult backgrounds, could survive in life was to appear tough, and the only time they could let down this guard was with their children, which was beneficial for both them and their children. The prison, Wandoo Reintegration Facility is a minimum-security prison that houses 77 inmates aged between 18 and 28.

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3 responses

It is wonderful to see programs like this. Few people think about the impacts on children when a parent is incarcerated. For the children, it is often a devastating experience with life long impacts. And whilst there will always be the case where it is not in the best interests of the child to visit, these cases are far from the norm. There are similar programs going on in other prisons around Australia (see SHINE for Kids) but there are not enough of them. Far too many children fall through the cracks. And alas, we are talking large numbers of children. Good to see a positive program being showcased.